Cascade Range Police Academy

The last thread of the tape finally tore away, freeing Blair's ankles. Looking at the tape binding his knees, he figured that the only way he was going to be able to get at it was to awkwardly shift around and try to get the metal piece between his legs. Breathing a little hard from the exertion, Blair rested for a few moments and peered out the door to see if his captor was returning. Relaxing slightly at not seeing or hearing anyone approaching, he started shifting around again to get at the rest of the tape.

As the blue, '69 Ford rounded the corner to the road that lead to the entrance of the academy, the flashing red light on the dash went dark. Ellison didn't want to give anyone at the academy a warning that the police arrived. With a small screeching noise, he stopped the truck abruptly behind the parked car that held Connor and Rafe, exited the cab and squatted down by the car door. They were a couple of hundred yards from the buildings, partially hidden by a row of trees.

"Anything?" he asked. From where the car sat, there was a good view of the parking lots but still enough cover to prevent them from being obvious.

"The Captain has been carrying boxes to that green Cherokee sitting in the front row," Rafe answered from the passenger side, peering through binoculars towards the parking lot. Even with the glasses, he was just able to see the parking area and the front of the main building. "Another guy in a uniform climbed into a large 4 X 4 and drove it around the side towards the firing range."

Standing up slightly, Ellison peered over the top of the car and adjusted his sight until he had a close up view of the building holding the firing range. He saw that the truck Rafe had seen was backed up to a side door of the building.

"Here she is, with company."

Ellison's attention was brought back to the administration building by Rafe's comment. He saw a woman and man in uniform exit the building carrying boxes and walk over to the vehicle sitting with its back hatch door open. After they set them down in the back, the woman took out a fuel can and closed the hatch. She handed the man a set of keys and started walking back towards the building. The man climbed into the vehicle and started to drive off.

Looking over towards the far side of the lot, Ellison saw Blair's car along with three others in an area with a sign that stated 'Cadet Parking.' A uniformed man was using a 'slim jim' on one of the cars, trying to jimmy the lock.

Knowing that they had to move in now, Ellison stood up, stepped away from the car and pulled his weapon from its holder at his back. "We can't wait for the others to show up. They're cleaning out the ammo and weapons and I think they're going to torch the place."

"What?" Rafe exclaimed swinging the binoculars around. "How do you know?"

Connor opened her door and stepped out beside Ellison. "You saw her carry something back in." It was a statement, not a question.

Not realizing what he had done, Jim nodded. "Gas can. Rafe, get on the phone and let the Captain know about the Cherokee and to get a roadblock set up. Let's move out, Connor. We'll go around to the right and towards the back of the building through these trees."

Rafe climbed out of the car quickly. "Wow! I had the binoculars and he could still see farther," he exclaimed incredulously. Grabbing his cell phone, Rafe quickly followed Ellison's orders.

Reaching the building slightly out of breath, Ellison and Connor traveled carefully towards the back and then flattened themselves against the wall near the corner. Jim did a quick lean around the edge to check for anyone that might be there. Seeing two cadets exiting the building, he quickly leaned back and focused his hearing towards them to listen to their conversation.

"That was the last of them, right? There were only three others besides Sandburg?"

"Right. Though I don't understand why she wanted them locked up in the buildings. Wouldn't it have been better to just take them with us and dispose of them later?"

"The Captain wants this place to be burning merrily before anyone gets word of what's been going on. If their bodies are found by the investigators in the rubble, they'll think it was an unfortunate accident and that they just happened to still be on campus."

"But what about Sandburg? Why isn't he with them?"

~evil laugh~ "Perkins wanted the pleasure of taking him out personally. His body will never be found after Georgie finishes with him. The Gauntlet has some great hiding places."

Ellison lost the conversation when the two men had reached the building that housed the firing range and went inside. But he had heard enough, his jaw tightening with the information. "Son of a bitch," he growled.

"What did you hear?" Megan asked, seeing the grim expression on Jim's face.

Ellison looked sharply at the woman beside him. It was still hard for him accept the fact that Connor knew about his abilities. Giving the woman a last sharp look, Ellison turned back to the corner and looked out again. "Two cadets, probably the same two we did the search on. They've got three other cadets locked up around the area and Schofield intends to burn the place to the ground."

"And Sandy?"

"I'm going after him. You wait for Rafe and then start searching the buildings for those cadets. Right now we can only I.D. Schofield, Carson, Krist and the officer that you two saw taking the 4 X 4. There may be more involved so no one is to be trusted. Got it?" Without waiting for an answer, Ellison rounded the building and started running in the direction he remembered that the Gauntlet was located. He silently prayed that he would be in time to rescue his friend.

With a final jerk, Blair was able to split the tape that bound his knees together. He was exhausted from the effort to free his legs but wasted little time in extricating himself away from the cardboard cutout and its controlling mechanism. Shifting his feet around and under him, he was finally able to stand and stagger out the door. The tightness of the handcuffs had caused his hands to go numb, throwing him off balance.

Looking quickly around the area, Blair was relieved to find he was still alone. He now had to find a way to get to a phone and call for help. His cell phone was in his backpack and Perkins had left that in Sgt. Howell's office. "Phone. Where would the closest phone be?" he mumbled to himself stepping into the street. "Just go, Sandburg. Any phone will do."

Moving at a shambling trot, he traveled down the road towards the far end of the facade town. Seeing an opening between two of the buildings that would allow him to get off the weapons course, Blair veered over and stopped just short of the opening. Leaning against one wall, he concentrated on controlling his breathing so that he could listen for Perkins return. He took a few careful, measured breaths that helped calm his frantically beating heart.

Once he felt more in control, Blair stepped forward to look through the opening and listened. Before he stepped all the way through, he heard the heavy tread of boots back behind him and coming down the wooden walk that lined each side of the road on the course. In a panic, Blair rushed forward away from the footsteps and along the back wall of the buildings. Just as he passed another break in the wall, two hands reached out, grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him to the side.

Before Blair could shout, a hand clapped over his mouth while another crossed his front to hug him back against a broad, firm chest. He struggled weakly, trying to kick at the sturdy legs behind until he heard a whispering voice say, "Sandburg, it's me."

Ellison felt his friend freeze and then collapse weakly against him, eyes closed in relief. Minute shivers could be felt coursing through the smaller body. "You all right?" he asked removing his hand.

Not trusting his voice, Blair just nodded. He felt Jim pat his shoulder comfortingly and then shift him further back into the alcove.

Ellison had worried about the fate of his partner as he traveled towards the weapons range until he was close enough to pick up the sounds of a rapid heartbeat. It had to be Sandburg. He felt more relief when he heard his friend speaking to himself about finding a telephone. Somehow, the young man had been able to escape from where ever he had been held. All Ellison had to do was wait along the path he figured his friend would be traveling. Then, when he had heard the movement of another person heading in the direction Sandburg was supposed to be, he knew that he had to get to his friend first.

"It's got to be Perkins," Blair whispered, seeing that Jim was listening to the person moving along the street on the other side of their building. "He was... he said he was going to come back after me once they took care of some of the others that helped me. We've got to go help them, Jim."

Ellison turned back towards his friend when he heard the anxiety in his voice. What he saw in his eyes, however, was fierce determination. "We will, Chief. The 'Calvary' is here and has already started to search the grounds. Turn around and let me see what's holding you."

"Can you get these off? I can't feel my hands anymore and my shoulders are killing me." Blair said quietly and turned around to present his manacled hands.

Ellison murmured a soft 'ouch' when he saw the way the handcuffs were cinched tightly around his wrists. He could smell a small amount of blood from the area and quickly dug in his pants pocket for the key to the cuffs he carried. Luckily, these handcuffs were the same as his, so Jim was able to remove them with his set of keys.

"Oh, man. Thanks, Jim." Blair turned back around, carefully shook his hands then rubbed the wrists to get the circulation back into them. He opened his mouth to explain what had happened during the day when angry curses filled the air. Blair froze. It was Perkins.

"Damn it! You can't get far, Sandburg," Perkins yelled into the air as he exited the last place he had left his prisoner. "It's going to be worse if I have to look for you, boy!" He started walking, going from one side to the other to check each of the buildings along the road.

Ellison heard his friend's heart rate increase dramatically at the threats, but saw nothing of the fear in his face. He reached down his pant leg and started to pull his backup piece when Blair clumsily placed a hand on his arm.

"No, Jim," he whispered and displayed his injured arms. "I couldn't hold it if I even tried." Looking around, Blair saw a four foot length of a broken 2 X 4 and retrieved it. He was able to clasp his hands around one end but not very steadily.

With a frustrated glare, Ellison secured the pistol back into his ankle holster and straightened back up. "Okay. I'll swing around and come up behind him..."

"Then I'll come from the other direction, draw his attention and you'll take him out." Blair finished his partner's plan nodding his head firmly. He hefted the piece of wood he held to test its weight. "Be careful, man."

"You too, Chief," Ellison replied and then slid out of their alcove and stealthily moved along the rear of the buildings.

Perkins was getting angrier after each building he checked came up empty. Sandburg had been a sore spot to him from the very beginning and he had been looking forward to exacting some revenge. Finding the building he had left his prisoner in empty something within him snapped and the only thing he could think of was finding his quarry.

"SANDBURG!" Perkins screamed as another building came up empty. He blindly fired three shots from the 9mm pistol he carried. Charging across the road, he entered another building. Nothing.

"Freeze, Perkins!" Ellison yelled coming around the side of a structure about 100 feet away. He had watched the crazed man grow more frantic searching for his prey. When the Sergeant started shooting wildly, Ellison knew he had to stop the man. "Drop your weapon and step into the middle of the road."

Without hesitation, Perkins shot at Ellison then jumped into the doorway of the building nearest to him before the other could react. Some semblance of sanity returned when he realized that the person he had just shot at was none other than Detective James Ellison, the partner of one Blair Sandburg. "How'd he find out? We got them all before anyone could call for help," Perkins spoke disbelieving to himself. Glancing quickly out the door, he couldn't see the other man but knew he was still out there.

"There's no where to run, Perkins. Throw out your weapon and then come out with your hands raised." Ellison yelled from where he hid at the side of the building.

Perkins stepped halfway out the door and replied, "I've got your partner, Ellison. You throw down your weapon or I'll put my next bullet through a kneecap. His career will end before it begins."

A board creaked from behind Perkins, barely providing a warning. He started to swing around when something flashed down, knocking his weapon out of his hand. Stumbling backwards, he saw Sandburg brandishing a large piece of wood like it was a baseball bat.

"Why, Perkins?" Blair asked quietly, fingering the board he held. "You're a veteran, close to retirement. What they are postulating goes against everything we've been taught."

Snarling in anger, Perkins charged towards the cadet. Sandburg brought the club down level and jabbed it into the man's stomach, bending him over at the waist and leaving him gasping for air. But that was only momentarily. Blindly, Perkins charged again. This time he caught the smaller man before he could bring his weapon up. Landing out in the dirt road, Perkins scrambled until he was on top and struggling over control of the club Blair held. He froze when he felt the cold steel of a gun barrel press into the back of his neck.

"Drop it now, Perkins," Ellison spoke in a low deadly tone. He pressed his gun harder against the other's neck when the man failed to move. "I don't like the idea of shooting another cop but I can make an exception for you."

Scooting from under Perkins, Blair grabbed the piece of wood back out of his rising hands and then stepped back. "I was wondering when you were going to step in there, man."

"Didn't want to interrupt when you were doing so good at getting his attention, Chief." Ellison smiled and then moved back from Perkins. He pulled out the handcuffs that he had removed from Sandburg earlier and held them out to his friend. "Want to take over here?"

With a broad grin on his face, Blair accepted the metal devices, stepped behind Perkins and pulled the man to his feet. Locking one cuff on Perkins' left wrist, he pulled the arm around a nearby post and secured the other wrist firmly. "My first collar. Man, that feels good." Spying a set of keys on the man's belt, Blair unhooked them and then performed the standard pat down procedure. Perkins just glared when the young man located his back up pistol under the right pant leg.

"There'll be more before the day is over. Do you know who all the players are?"

"Definitely Carson and Krist among the cadets. I don't know if there are any others planted in the class. He talked like Captain Schofield was the leader so I guess her and definitely an Officer Short. He was with Perkins when I got caught."

Ellison leaned over and picked up the gun Sandburg had knocked out of Perkins' hand, tucking it in his belt. Blair tried to hand over the .38 revolver he had taken from their prisoner but was stopped by Jim's hard look. "Keep it and let's get back to the main buildings. I think your playmates are still on campus along with the Captain and at least one other. It looked like they're going to set a fire to cover their tracks."

Sandburg looked at the pistol he was holding then back up at his partner. With a nod, he turned and started trotting in the direction of the academy knowing that Ellison was right behind him. "Where do we start?" he asked.

"I left Connor at the main building. She was to wait for Rafe and then they were to start searching there. We can start at the other end and work towards them."

"The gymnasium. That's where Perkins grabbed me. I wasn't expecting it because I didn't think I had done anything to give myself away."

Ellison could hear the regret in his friend's voice. "Don't beat yourself up, Chief. They've probably been watching you since the first day. You didn't have to do much to spook them." Blair didn't answer.

Arriving at the gymnasium, Ellison took the lead and flattened himself along the wall at one corner. He heard Sandburg move to his normal spot behind him and become still. Focusing on the building, Ellison extended his hearing. The sound of something metal being slammed in a large room created an echo that caused him to winch back in pain.

"What?" Blair asked noticing the reaction.

"Someone is in there banging around. The echo just caught me by surprise." Jim answered rubbing his ear.

"Muffle it down, Jim," Blair's voice spoke calmly beside him. "You need to mute out the echo to locate where the real sound is coming from."

With a nod, Ellison took a deep breath, blew out the air and followed his friend's instructions. The reverbing sounds slowly faded and he heard the clear tone of metal weights being lifted and dropped in a pattern: three slow clangs, three quick ones and then three slow clangs again. Morse code for help. Ellison was also able to hear heavy breathing and muffled grunting.

"Come on. I think we found one of your missing friends. I can also smell gasoline." With a nod, Sandburg followed his partner while sweeping his vision around and behind them as a backup was supposed to do.

Entering the building, Ellison moved in the alcove until he reached the intersection that branched off towards each of the locker rooms. Listening, he could not hear anything coming from either room, but from straight ahead. "What's in that direction?" he whispered and pointed towards the double doors in front of them. This was one of the newer buildings on the grounds and Jim had never been back to the academy since he had graduated.

"Workout room with a weight room on the other side. Clear?" Blair asked gesturing towards the two side rooms.

Nodding his head, Ellison started moving forward until he was in front of the double doors. Sandburg flattened himself against one door while Ellison positioned himself in front of the other. After listening and assuring him that there wasn't anyone in the next room, he grabbed the handle on one and yanked it open.

The large room was empty but now even Blair could hear the clanging noises coming from the room on the far side. Trotting across to the door that lead into that room, Jim paused for a moment to listen then entered the room. Tied and gagged to the reclining incline bench sat a cadet. The man was breathing heavily as he pushed on the machine to bang out his SOS message.

"Johnson?" Blair queried, causing the bound man to jerk in fright and let go of the weights with a bang that caused the rescuers to flinch. He sagged in relief when he saw Blair moving quickly towards him.

"You okay, man?" Blair asked as he untied one of his fellow cadet's hand. Jim had moved around the machine and was taking care of the other hand.

When he had a hand free, Johnson reached up and pulled the sock, that was used as a gag, out of his mouth. "Sandburg. Thank God you heard me!"

"Who did this?" Ellison asked helping the exhausted man up and out of the piece of equipment. Johnson looked suspiciously at the man helping him.

"It's okay. This is my partner, Jim Ellison. This is Hank Johnson, Jim. The other guy who was able to screw with the psyche tests but definitely not one of the bad guys." Blair explained, taking over helping the cadet leaving both his partner's hands free.

"Carson got the jump on me and tied me up here. Said it was my penalty for helping a Commie like you Blair. What's going on? Was he serious?" Johnson allowed the two men to lead him out of the room and across the floor towards the entrance.

"As a heart attack, man. They've been using the academy as a recruiting base for their militia group. I'm sorry you got caught up in this because of me."

"Can you move on your own?" Ellison interrupted after he had checked through the door to the outside. At Johnson's nod, he pointed towards the door. "Give us five minutes and then I want you to run along the back way towards the trees on the other side of the end building. Head towards the road, keep under cover and you should find some police cars there by now. Find someone from the Major Crimes division and let them know that we're heading in their direction. Got that?"

"How will they know that I'm not part of the militia group?" Johnson asked stepping up to the door. Ellison stopped short and looked back at Sandburg.

"Ask for a Detective Henri Brown. Tell him that 'Hairboy' told you to look him up." Blair smiled over at Jim and received a knowing grin. Everyone in the division knew the nickname the black detective called him and it would be the one safe password to use.

"Two more to find, Chief. Let's move out," Ellison announced and quickly exited out the door of the building. Giving his fellow cadet a pat on the shoulder, Sandburg stepped past him and quickly followed his partner.

Inspector Megan Connor was moving stealthily through the administration building, her progress slow due to the number of doors that lined the hallway she was checking. As she rounded a corner to the hall that she knew led to the academy Captain's office, she was startled by a sharp 'hissing' sound that came from behind. Moving quickly back, she turned and saw Simon Banks creeping towards her. He was wearing a flak jacket and carrying one for the inspector.

"Anything?" he asked when he reached her side, handing her the safety equipment to don.

Connor shook her head. "The Captain's office is around there. She might start the fire from there."

"Where's Rafe and Ellison?" Banks leaned over the inspector to peer around the corner.

"Rafe's checking out the other side of the building. Ellison went to find Sandy. He'd heard two cadets talking, told me to wait for Rafe and then took off across the backside of the property. But Schofield had carried a petrol can into the building and I didn't think I should just wait until she used it."

"Okay, then let's go see if she's in." Banks slid around the corner and crept down the hallway, keeping pressed against the wall. Connor followed right behind him until they reached Schofield's office where she stepped quickly past to position herself on the other side of the door.

Testing the doorknob, Banks found it locked. Raising his hand, he mouthed to Connor-- three, two, and one-- and then stepped back and kicked at the door. The lock didn't hold against the force of the Captain's foot and flew open with a crash.

Connor gave the office a quick look then rushed in to flatten herself against the wall by the door. Hearing a low moan from behind a nearby desk, she leaned over and saw the prone body of a young cadet. With a gesture to Banks, she stepped around the desk and squatted down to check the young man out. Rolling him carefully onto his back revealed blood trickling from a head wound but no other injuries. The man's name tag indicated that his name was Ho. His pulse was steady and his breathing didn't seem impaired.

Seeing Connor give him a thumbs up concerning the injured cadet, Banks slide further into the room and over to the doorway that lead into the Captain's office. The door was open and a strong odor of gasoline emanated from the room but it was empty. Turning towards the closed door that he thought might lead to another office, Banks heard a low 'whumpf' from the other side just as he started to reach for the doorknob. As he rattled the knob of the locked portal, smoke began to billow from underneath the wooden closure.

"Get him outta here!" Banks barked to the startled Connor and raced out of the office. "Hold it, Schofield!" he shouted seeing the academy Captain running down the hall. The woman continued to run, making it around the corner of the hall before he could fire his weapon. Chasing after her, Banks stopped at the corner and carefully leaned out. The hallway was filling with smoke, preventing him from seeing clearly. Schofield had escaped.

After a moment of hesitation, Banks turned around and went back towards the office. He met Connor as she struggled in carrying the dead weight of the semi-conscious cadet into the hall and lent a hand. Seeing the smoke building in the office, he grasped the radio mic hooked to his shoulder with his free hand. "This is Banks. We've got a fire going in the Captain's office. Make sure the fire department has been called but under no circumstances are they to be allowed into the building until we're sure it's clear."

Replacing the mic, he took a stronger hold of the cadet and guided Connor back towards the door he had used to enter the building.

Ellison placed his hand back, lightly touching Sandburg's chest, as he slowed near an exterior door of another building. "Was the firing range used today?" he asked in a low voice.

Blair shook his head in a negative motion then realized that Jim had his senses focused forward. "Should be empty. No training today."

"Heard you did pretty good here," Ellison commented, looking at his partner. He didn't expect to see an expression of chagrin appear on the youthful face. "What?"

"You remember what I've said in the past about guns, Jim." Blair looked carefully at the pistol he carried, running the fingers of his left hand along the barrel. "I haven't changed my feelings. I wasn't comfortable on the range and I'm not comfortable with this now. It's not me." Blair turned his gaze towards his friend, asking silently if it was okay. He waited for a reply.

"Do what you think is right, Chief," came the answer. The two men's eyes locked onto each other for several long seconds. With a nod from the smaller man, Jim broke the gaze and turned his attention back to the building. He cocked his head to listen but heard nothing.

"It's empty. They must have finished--" Jim stopped, lifted his head and sniffed. "Do you smell that?"

Blair copied his actions. "I can't smell anything. What is it?"

"Smoke... coming from the Admin building," Jim answered and started running. As he neared the building, he pointed. "This door still lead to the classrooms?"

"Yeah. Left is to... ~pant~... cafeteria. Right... classrooms and offices," Blair forced out as he struggled to keep up with the running detective.

Arriving at the door, Ellison held his hand out a few inches away from the surface and felt for any heat. Feeling none, he reached for the doorknob and tested it. When it gave easily, he opened it carefully and entered with his senses on full alert. Sandburg followed closely behind, knowing that he had to keep a close eye on his sentinel.

Standing silently in the alcove, allowing the door to close behind, Jim directed his hearing to the left. The cafeteria was silent except for the electric hum of machinery. With a gesture to Blair, Jim crept down the hallway to the right.

Passing by several doors, Ellison paused by one that had a plaque beside it that read 'Classroom 105.' Listening, he heard heavy, but muffled breathing. Turning to Sandburg, he raised one finger and then pointed at the door. Bringing his hand back and gesturing for his partner to wait, Jim shifted over to the other side of the door and grasped the handle, his pistol raised into a ready position. Blair sidled up closer to the door; his eyes locked onto his partner.

Quietly shifting the handle, Ellison gave the door a firm push. As it opened wide he leaned back away from the entrance, waiting for any reaction. When none came, he peered into the room only to see a female cadet bound to a chair and gagged by a piece of duct tape across her mouth.

"Lynn!" Blair exclaimed when he saw whom Jim had found. Racing past his partner, he knelt at the woman's side. Tucking the pistol he carried into the waist of his pants behind his back, he grabbed an edge of the tape. "This will probably sting. Ready?" At the woman's nod, he pulled the sticky gag off with a quick jerk.

"OW! Damn that hurt," Crowder complained. Her green eyes were bright with unshed tears created more from terror than pain.

"Are you okay?" Blair asked as he worked at the knots on the ropes binding her arms to the frame of the chair. Lynn opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Jim.

"Can you handle things here, Chief? I'm going to check further down the hall." Ellison was still standing at the door.

Blair looked at Lynn then back at his partner. "Right. We'll be right behind... you." The words were barely out of his mouth and Jim was out the door.

"God, Blair. I thought you were dead. Hell, I thought I was dead." Lynn struggled to keep her voice steady. "Krist told me it was your fault they had to do this to me. When I asked what... what they did to you, he just laughed."

Blair finally freed one hand and moved around the chair to get at the other. "I'm all right. That was my partner, Jim Ellison. He brought some help to take care of the situation. Did you see anyone else working with Krist beside Carson?"

"Sergeant Atkins. He leaned in and said something about a van being loaded, for them to get moving and then he headed up the hall. What's going on, Blair?" As her other hand was finally freed, Crowder slowly stood up. She groaned at the stiffness she felt from being tied up and slowly followed Sandburg to the door.

"They are with a militia group called the Washington Freedom Fighters and I'm pretty sure Captain Schofield is someone pretty high up with the group. Carson and Krist were plants in our class to try to recruit as many cadets as possible who believed their line of bull. There are staff and instructors involved, too." Blair peeked out the door quickly to ensure the hallway was still safe and then pulled Lynn into the hall. "Head out the back door and make your way to the parking lot."

"Wait! What are you going to do?"

Blair gave the woman a shove down the hall in the direction he had come in. "Back up my partner. Go on!" he said forcefully and then started in the direction Jim had gone.

Ellison was past the classrooms and in the area of the administration offices when he heard the banging of file drawers being opened and closed. He sidled up to the door with the word 'PERSONNEL' printed on its cloudy glass and listened carefully. There were two voices, the same two he had heard when he had been with Connor earlier.

"Why do we have to do this crap? It's Perkin's office. Why isn't he here doing this?"

"You know where he's at, Marty. After he's finished with Sandburg, he'll be back to help finish. There can't be any evidence left around to lead to us so don't miss any of the drawers."

"We wouldn't have this problem if the Captain hadn't stopped me in the locker room. I could have made it look like an accident."

"Forget about that. Concentrate on getting all this stuff together and getting out of here. We were able to get three good enlistees with this class and I'm looking forward to blowing this popsicle joint."

Hearing enough, Ellison opened the door and leveled his weapon at the two cadets. "Plans have changed, fellas. Put your hands up, move around to the front of the desk and assume the position. You do remember what you were taught was the position, don't you?"

The two young men froze at the light bantering tone that came from the police detective in the doorway. Krist momentarily thought about making a move for the pistol tucked in his waistband until he looked into the cold, blue eyes that bore in his direction, as if reading his intentions. With a sigh, he raised his hands and followed his equally cowed friend away from the file cabinet. Both men turned to face the desk, leaned their hands against the front and spread their legs out and away.

Moving forward carefully, Jim placed the barrel of his pistol in the small of the man's back, reached around and removed the weapon from Krist's waistband. Doing a quick pat down, he didn't find any more weapons and moved over to do the same to Carson. Just as he finished, a movement caught the edge of his eyesight, drawing his attention towards the corner and the body lying in it.

Moving carefully, keeping his gun trained on the two cadets, Ellison knelt by the prone form. As he felt the man's neck to check the pulse, he realized that the unconscious man was his friend Charlie Blanchard. Finding the strong and steady beat with his touch, Ellison released the breath he didn't know he was holding and stood back up to take care of the two cadets.

Concentrating on the men in front of him, Ellison didn't hear the other man enter the door behind him until it was too late. The sharp sound of a pistol hammer being cocked brought his head up sharply but Ellison kept his own weapon trained on the two in front of him. "Whoever you are, there are police all around the building."

"I know, and you'll make a good shield to help me get away. Put it down, detective. I'd rather not have to shoot you before it was necessary," Sgt. Atkins spoke in a casual manner that made the hair on Ellison's neck spike.

"Then we have a problem since I don't intend on losing my gun." Ellison prodded his pistol into the back of Carson as he turned up his hearing and scanned around the area. He knew that Sandburg would be coming this way eventually and he needed to make sure that he kept the gunman's attention.

Blair was slowly moving in the direction that he knew his partner had traveled. However, not having sentinel hearing, he had to be extra careful as he moved past each supposedly empty office. He figured that Jim would have checked each of the rooms, but he'd been taught that you couldn't assume that. As he neared the hallway that led to the personnel offices, he heard voices.

Peeking around the corner, Blair saw the back of Sgt. Atkins standing in a door with his weapon drawn. Reaching back, pulling the confiscated pistol out of his waistband, Blair took a careful, deep breath and quietly blew it out. In a voice loud enough for only his sentinel to hear he spoke, "I'm here, Jim. Be ready when I make my move." Then he stepped forward.

Ellison heard Sandburg's warning. "Give it up, Sarge. You're not going to make it out of here unless it's by me taking you in custody. We've got you covered."

"We? You got a mouse in your pocket or something?" the man sneered taking a step further into the room.

"No, actually I've got a partner who has you covered. You should remember him. Blair Sandburg."

"Good try but that's an old ploy. Besides, Sandburg's out of the picture. He's probably fertilizing the grass behind the Gauntlet by now."

Blair stepped quietly up behind the range officer and raised his pistol. "Not hardly."

Atkins started at the quiet voice behind him. Glancing back quickly he saw the curly-haired cadet standing in the hall pointing a pistol at him. "I thought you didn't like to use guns, Sandburg."

"I was once asked what situation would be severe enough for me to use my weapon. Remember my answer, Sergeant? Well, this would classify as the one I was talking about. I really don't like anyone pointing a gun at my partner and threatening him. So put down your weapon and raise your hands." When the man didn't move, Blair wet his lips and took a step closer. "You know what my ability is on the range. Do you want to test me at this distance?"

Ellison watched the exchange between his friend and the range officer. He could tell that Sandburg was nervous, hearing his rapid breathing and accelerated heart beat, but a peaceful smile was the only emotion his face displayed. The Sergeant, on the other hand, was beginning to sweat and the hand holding his weapon trembled slightly.

Carefully releasing the hammer of his pistol and holding it by the trigger guard, Atkins raised his arms with a sigh. Blair leaned forward, took the dangling pistol and then pushed the man into the room and up to where Jim held his other prisoners.

"Good job, partner," Ellison said softly, the pride evident in his voice. His face flushed with embarrassment, Blair just ducked his head and helped with securing the men.

Captain Simon Banks was standing outside of the administration building of the police academy, directing the actions of the different officers as they came to him for assignments, but his main attention was on the building behind him. He had helped Connor bring out the injured cadet and send him on to the hospital but was unable to go back into the building to help search for the escaping Captain Schofield as additional police arrived. Someone had to take control of the situation and, as the senior officer on scene, it was up to him. He just wished he knew where all of his people were.

He was just about to yell for Taggart to take over so that he could go look for his detectives when the front doors behind him opened and two cadets and a police officer stepped out of the building, their arms up and hands clasped behind their heads. Behind them walked Blair Sandburg, a pistol pointing at their backs and Jim Ellison helping another police officer walk out.

Trotting forward, Banks motioned for other officers to come forward to take control of the three prisoners. "Either of you happen to see Schofield in there?"

"She get away?" Blair asked looking between the Captain and Jim.

"Set her office on fire and escaped out the back door while we were helping an injured cadet. No one has seen her leave the academy but we can't find her anywhere on the premises either," Banks explained as he waved forward a pair of paramedics. "As good as she was in keeping her real identity a secret, I have no doubt she was amply prepared to get away if something like this happened. But it does look like the rest of them has been rounded up."

"I've been working here for over five years and never suspected the Captain or any of the others. Either they were very good at keeping their cover or I'm just getting too old for this line of work," Blanchard commented as a paramedic took his arm and started to help him walk towards a waiting ambulance. He stopped and turned towards Blair. "You did a good job of being there for your partner, Sandburg."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Blair said shyly and smiled. He watched as the older officer was led towards the ambulance and helped inside. With a tired sigh, he handed the pistol he carried to Simon and then rubbed his eyes. "Are we finished Captain?"

"I think we've got it covered here. Why don't you two head for the office and start the reports. I'll just wait around until we're sure the fire department has everything under control."

"Thanks, Captain. Come on, Chief. You need to keep up on your skills with report writing," Ellison replied wearily and, throwing his arm across his friend's shoulders, started walking towards the truck.

"I take it that I can't go get my backpack, can I?" Blair asked looking to where his car was parked. "My keys are in it, Jim."

"They've probably got the area secured for the night. I can bring you back here tomorrow and get it," Ellison answered. "Besides, this gives you plenty of time to tell me how this all started. I especially want to hear about the little problem you had with a police cruiser and more details about what happened in the locker room."

Blair stopped abruptly and plastered the most innocent look he could think of on his face. "Jim, I swear to you there's nothing to tell. Well, maybe there is about what happened in the locker--"

Ellison held up a hand to halt Sandburg's frantic speech and focused his hearing in the direction where he saw Rafe and Brown talking. The subject of their conversation was him and he almost groaned at what he heard.

"I swear, H. He was standing up there beside our car and was able to see better than I could with the binoculars." Rafe was pointing up to the road where he had left the car. "I told you that there was more to Sandburg's dissertation than what he said at the press conference."

"Come on, Rafe. Haven't you figured out the whole thing yet?" Brown laughed at the younger detective's expression. He was about to say more when Taggart wandered past.

"Is he just catching on? I thought you were quicker than that, Rafe. Just remember, it stays in the office." Taggart pointed a warning finger at the younger detective then joined in Brown's laughter. The two black detectives looked over to where Ellison and Sandburg were standing, laughed harder then started walking towards their vehicles.

His mouth hanging open in surprise, Rafe also turned to see Ellison and Sandburg looking at him. From the expression he saw on the older detective's face, he knew that the other had been listening to what was said. Giving Ellison a smile and an embarrassed wave, Rafe trotted quickly to catch up with Taggart and Brown.

"What's going on, Jim?" Blair asked. He had seen the three Major Crime detectives talking but hadn't heard their conversation.

"Another situation we're going to need to discuss, Chief," Ellison replied with a sigh and then urged his confused partner into continuing walking towards where he had left the truck.